Category Archives: Spiritual

In the book of Proverbs, there are two words mentioned over and over again that stand out to me when I read it. “My son”.

22 times, Solomon uses these words to begin his writing.
This leads me to believe that Solomon was a man who loved his family and had his children in mind when he wrote this book. He wanted them to do well, just like any other normal parent would.

Solomon was blessed with great wisdom from God, so if he is giving advice directly to his son, then it certainly would be wise for us, as parents, to hear and study what he has to say.

Below, are all the verses of Proverbs, written by Solomon, where he is addressing his son directly. Read these verses carefully and take note of the advice and wisdom that Solomon is trying to get across to his son. Maybe they can be good teaching points to share with your own children.

(All scripture is from the King James Version)

Proverbs 1:8My son, hear the instruction of thy father and forsake not the law of thy mother.

Proverbs 1:10My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not,

Proverbs 1:15My son, walk not thou, in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

Like this:

For The Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

If you had one wish or one thing to ask of God today when you pray…ask for wisdom.

God is giving it out; all we have to do is ask for it.

Think of all the decisions that we make on a daily basis. Some are more important than others, but what if God was helping us with those important choices that we make each day and the words that we speak to others. Wow! The world would be a better place.

Have ever had a song stuck in your head that just you just can’t get out.
Most of the time it’s some annoying jingle from a commercial or something similar. Why not, get a song of praise stuck in your head all day.

Like this:

Amongst all the hustle and bustle of this time of year, we must remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
Take some time to sit down with your family and read them the Christmas story.
(I apologize ahead of time if you find any spelling errors. I typed all this manually so that I could soak it all in one word at a time)

Luke 1: 26-38
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, The Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in they womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
For with God nothing is impossible.
And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of The Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of The Lord appeared unto him in a dream , saying, Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and though shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of The Lord by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanual, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of The Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
And knew her not til she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Luke 2:1-21
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said on to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of these shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, til it came and stood over where the young child was.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Here are some other scriptures pertaining to the birth of Jesus…

Isaiah 7:14
Therefore The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that they world through him might be saved.

I wrote this scripture down after reading it and put a big question mark beside it. Huh???

If you try to save your life, you will lose it, but if you lose your life, you will save it?

This seems so backward to our natural way of thinking, but you have to look at the whole context to gain a better understanding of what it means.

In this chapter of Luke, Jesus is talking to his disciples about the end times and his return.
He explains how some will be left behind while others are taken up into glory with Him.
He then gives reference to the days of Lot and how Sodom became a wicked place.
(Jesus gave Lot and his family a chance to escape Sodom before he destroyed it)
As they were leaving Sodom, Lot’s wife turned back because she cared so much for the things that she had.
She was hoping to save the life that she had and did not want to lose it, but because she turned back she lost everything, including her life.
If she would have just left it all or lose it, as the verse says, she would have preserved her own life and future.

I think that Jesus is simply telling us that if we hope to be saved, then we must be willing to leave everything behind.
When he says that we must lose our life, he is not talking about death, but our way of living and the life that we have lived in this world.

Yes, sometimes it is better to lose your life, if you want to save it and preserve your future.

I would love to hear your point of view on this verse.
What do you think it means?

Like this:

We live in a fast paced world.
Life is just a constant movement of one thing to another.
There is so much to do in a day that it is hard to be in one place without thinking about where you need to be or what you are going to do next.

While in bed, trying to sleep, you’re thinking about tomorrow.
At breakfast you’re thinking about work.
At work you’re thinking about lunch or what needs be done after work.
During the drive home you’re thinking about all that needs to be crammed into the evening.
When finally home, you’re thinking about getting back to bed and the cycle continues.

In all that we have to do, all the place places that we have to be, my challenge to you is this…Wherever You Are; Be There

If you’re at work, be at work.
If you’re at home, be at home.
If you’re at church, be at church.
If you’re eating dinner with the family, focus on the family.
If you’re playing with the kids, give them your undivided attention.
If you’re out on a date with your spouse, be there with him/her.

Try not to let your mind wonder and worry about what’s next.
Its coming soon enough.
Enjoy the moment and get the most out of every opportunity that you have.

When creating and living off of a written budget, tithing to the church should be the first item on the list.

Why?

When I was younger I did it because that is what my parents and the church taught me was the right thing to do.

As I have gotten older I have learned more and more, on my own, why it is so essential.

Giving away a portion of your income is a testament of your faith and belief in God and his church. It is a sacrifice.

Since the creation of man God has asked us to sacrifice by giving of the first of our fruits. Adam and Eve taught Cain and Able how to sacrifice. This story also taught us the importance of giving of the best that we have and with the right attitude or there could be consequences.

All God asks is that you give 10% back of what he already gave you in the first place. It takes money to run the church and the purpose of the church is to reach out to the community and help those in need. To save those that are lost.

God will take care of you when you give.

God has never failed to provide for me or my family and that is because we are first faithful to Him.

He provides in many more ways than simply a good, steady income.

He has kept our family healthy. He has kept our vehicles running well. He has taken care of our home and so much more.

Any of these things could instantly cause you to have to pay out a tremendous amount of money if something goes wrong, especially when it comes to your health.

If you do not pay your tithes, God may choose to get that portion from you one way or another, so it is better to give it up front, willingly and happily and be blessed, instead of the other way around.

If you are faithful to God and his church, then he will be faithful to you and take care of you.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.

Sounds to me like a win-win situation. Bless others and you will be blessed even more.

You can’t out give God. Go ahead and test him. Give him the first of what you receive in tithing to the church and see what happens.

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Like this:

We are all busy. So much to do and so little time to do it.
At the end of the day we are exhausted and ready to get some sleep so that we can get up the next morning and do it all over again.

Did you make time for God? Was he left out?
While laying in bed, do you now take the time to say a quick bed time prayer?

How does God fit into your schedule or does he even have a spot?

If you are a faithful christian and belong to a church then you likely believe in tithing and giving the first of your finances to the church.
You were taught that this should be at the top of your budget.
You don’t wait and give what is left over at the end; you give to God first and then everything else comes after.

This tithing principle should also apply with our time for God.
Are you giving God the first of your time or the last?
Is God just getting the leftovers, if there are any?

Put God at the top of your daily To-Do list.
Spend the first part of your day with with Him in prayer and reading the Bible.

Like this:

Ecclesiastes 3
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

Whatever your life circumstances are, wether good or bad, just know that there is a reason and a purpose for it all.